Songs and storytelling are on tap this weekend when folk legend Tom Rush — the artist James Taylor has called a national treasure — performs at the Danbury Palace.

Known around the globe for his distinctive guitar style, wry humor and warm, expressive voice, Rush will entertain on Sunday, Sept. 17. Audience members can expect a show filled with “the rib-aching laughter of terrific storytelling, the sweet melancholy of ballads and the passion of gritty blues,” according to a news release.

Rush’s impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the 1960s and the renaissance of the 1980s and 1990s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists.

His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and Taylor, among others. Taylor said, “New York had Bob Dylan, but we had Tom Rush. Like a lot of people who do what I do, I owe my career to him.”

While celebrating more than 50 years as a touring singer-songwriter, Rush continues to break new ground. His most recent CD was awarded top Folk Album of the Year by the International Folk Alliance. And his YouTube rendition of “Remember Song,” which he calls a bit of “modern day, yuppie blues,” has more than 7 million hits.